People

SRI's innovative thinking and technology leadership depend directly on the individuals who work here. Meet members of our team and learn why they joined SRI - you may discover that you would like to join the team, too. Visit Careers @ SRI for descriptions of current openings.

Focus @ SRI:
Cross-disciplinary applied physics and engineering, including space physics, plasma simulation, satellite orbits and attitude control, aerospace systems, and electrical engineering.

Title:
Program Manager, Engineering & Systems Division

Day in the Life @ SRI:
I've been part of projects that involved high-voltage power lines, microfluidics, lightning, new spacecraft propulsion technologies, optical vibration measurement, spacecraft electromagnetic problems, and even a chance to operate a crane. My activities vary from experimental lab work and testing to exploring the business potential of new ideas, creating and documenting new intellectual property, directing R&D projects, communicating with clients, recruiting, and writing papers, proposals, and software. The variety is pretty amazing, very interesting, and part of what I enjoy most about SRI.

Before SRI:
I did one year of post-doc research at Stanford University analyzing data from two shuttle missions.

Academics:
B.S. Physics, MIT; M.S. Aeronautics and Astronautics, and M.S. Electrical Engineering, Stanford University; Ph.D. Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University Why SRI?:
I have always enjoyed solving new problems in a research setting, and working on applied physics or engineering problems. At SRI I found that I could enjoy the freedom to pursue important problems while working in the intersection of engineering and science.

Inspiration/Perspiration (what motivates you, what irritates you...)
Some of my greatest motivations are applying solutions or approaches to a totally new application, brainstorming to find new explanations and out-of-the-box solutions for problems, and opportunities to learn new skills or strengthen old ones. Things that irritate me are arbitrary deadlines, not having enough time or resources to do a job well, and masking the complexity or difficulty of a problem.

Away from the Office:
I swim, sail, read, enjoy pleasant walks and conversation with my wife and friends, explore philosophy, juggle, work on home and yard improvements, and even Scottish dance!

Languages:
English, Spanish , French, 80x86, APL, FORTRAN, BASIC, C, CLU, some Tex, and a number of scripting languages.

Proudest Accomplishment:
Persevering to finish my Ph.D. even after a near-fatal motorcycle accident, involvement in two shuttle missions that had problems, and having an advisor who moved to a different university in mid-course, all the while maintaining my sanity and good spirits.

Words of Wisdom for New SRI Team Members:
Be clear and aggressive in communicating what you would like to work on and in asking for time to try new things. Expand your skills and keep learning about what others do. You will never lack for learning opportunities given both the depth and breadth of expertise at SRI. And enjoy the people you work with, especially since I've found that the environment at SRI is one of the best in which I've ever worked.

Best Read, Favorite Flick, Favorite Links:
Science fiction in general and Scientific American's Amateur Scientist column. One movie that I remember strongly is "Ghost". Some of my favorite books are Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher, On Being Free by Frithjof Bergmann, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and Engines of Creation by Eric Drexler.Engines of Creation is a very provocative book that made me think that nanotechnology was indeed inevitable. No one can predict how long significant scientific and cultural changes will take to evolve, but nanotechnology-related advances are clearly manifesting in many fields.